The present invention relates to a device to motivate an animal to leave a milking stall, wherein the device comprises a first unit configured to motivate an animal to leave the milking stall by means of a first motivation means.
Milking stalls for voluntary milking of cows comprises a milking robot attaching teat cups to the teats of cows entering the milking stall. When the milking process of a cow is finished, an exit gate is open and the cow leaves the milking stall. However, all cows do not leave the milking stall immediately when the exit gate is open. In this case, a subsequent cow has to wait some time before the milking stall is vacant. Milking stalls provided with a milking robot are expensive. It is therefore important that the capacity of such a milking stall is used in a substantially optimal manner and without unnecessary time delays between the milking processes.
GB 1,175,588 shows a rotary parlour with a plurality of milking stalls for cows. A constraining means is arranged at an exit opening of the platform. The object of the constraining means is to motivate the cows to leave the platform when the milking stall arrives to the exit opening. The constraining means may be a flashing light, an electric dog or means for directing a water jet towards the head of the animal.
DE 41 34 163 shows a method for blowing an air jet towards animals in order to guide the animals in a desired direction. A cow may be in a calm half sleep state after it has been milked. An air jet towards the cow wakes it up from the half sleep state and draws attention to the fact that it is time to leave the milking stall.
EP 562 655 shows a milking stall for automatic milking of cows. The milking stall includes expelling means for removing a cow from the milking stall. The expelling means consists of a mechanical device including movable plates configured to come in contact with a rear portion of a cow and push the cow towards an exit of the milking stall when it is time to leave. This mechanical device may have a reliable function but it is heavy and complicated to arrange in a milking stall.